Apparatus for plying yarns



Jan. 17, 1956 A. D. GATLING 2,730,859

APPARATUS FOR FLYING YARNS Filed May 22, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. ANTHONY DAVID GATLI NG HTTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

HTTO RNEY Jan. 17, 1956 A. D. GATLING APPARATUS FOR FLYING YARNS Filed May 22, 1953 6 Ill QNTHONY Dnvlu GATLING United States Patent Ofiice 2,730,859 Patented Jan. 17, 1956 APPARATUS FOR PLYING YARNS Anthony David Gatling, Fisherwick, near Lichfield, lingland, assignor to Dunlap Tire and Rubber Corporation, Bulllalo, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 22, 1953, Serial No. 356,649

9 Claims. (Cl. 57-58.3)

My invention relates to apparatus for plying together yarns with particular reference to forming a heavy ply yarn or cord from two yarns for use in the carcass of pneumatic tires and belt and hose reinforcement.

In apparatus heretofore known this has been accomplished by means of a rotating spindle so as to balloon a yarn from one supply package about another supply package and thereby to twist the yarns together into a ply construction. The rotating spindle of such apparatus has been hollow and the yarns have been led to a plying point within it through radial and axial passages therein. In order that the yarns may be plied uniformly it is necessary to control the forward movement of the yarns accurately, it being essential that equal yarn lengths are plied together. Methods which have been proposed to obtain this included the use of a yarn tensioner between each yarn supply and the plying point wherein one tensioner is controlled by the other, or alternatively to include feed rolls to supply the yarn positively to the plying spindle.

My invention provides a mechanism for twisting together two strands of yarn wherein tensioning means are provided for each strand of simpler construction than that hitherto known.

In my invention apparatus for plying together two yarns comprises two supports for let-oil yarn packages, a rotatable hollow spindle for plying the yarns together, said spindle having two radially directed passages each adapted to guide a yarn to a plying point within the spindle and a ball of steel or other material Within each of said passages adapted to nip a yarn therein against a seating by centrifugal force on the ball created by rotation of the spindle.

Preferably the supports are located one above the other and vertically above the rotatable hollow spindle, the upper yarn package support and the hollow spindle being carried by a machine frame, the lower yarn package support being carried on an axial extension of the rotatable, hollow spindle. A spool may be located below the spindle to take up yarn plied within the spindle on rotation of the latter. The plying spindle is rotated by a belt drive from the machine. Preferably the yarn package supports are themselves hollow and carry yarn tensioners at their upper ends.

The various features of my invention are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevation of an apparatus embodying a preferred form of the invention, and,

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevation of a detail of the apparatus.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings a fixed, hollow support It) (Fig. 1) for a yarn package ll is mounted on a machine frame 12 and carries a balldrag yarn tensioner 13 at its upper end. A yarn guide 14 is located vertically below the support 10.

A second hollow package supporting cone 15 carrying at its upper end a similar ball-drag yarn tensioner 16 is mounted on a magnetic base 16a rotatably mounted on an axial extension 13 (Fig. 2) of a plying spindle 17 and held stationary by a magnet 23, Fig. l. The spindle 17, which is rotatably mounted on the machine frame vertically beneath the package support 10 consists of a head portion 19 carrying a driving pulley 20 and a lower cylindrical portion 21 supported by ball bearings in a bolster 12a secured to the frame 12. Rotation of support 15 with respect to the frame is prevented by means of a magnetic brake indicated at 23. Extension 18 is formed with an axial passage 24 extending downwardly to a radial passage 25 in the head portion 19 of the spindle 17. A further axial passage 26 in the lower portion of spindle 17 extends upwardly into a diametrical passage 27. Diametrical passage 27 is enlarged on each side of the axial passage 26 to within a short distance from its outer ends and carries in each enlarged portion 28 a steel ball 29. The outer ends of the enlarged portions 23 are fitted with hardened steel eyelets 30 which constitute seatings for the steel balls 29. A cap guard 31 is mounted on the head 19 to surround the yarn package 11 thereon and to prevent ballooning yarn from the package ll from entangling with yarn from the package 32 on the support 15. A driving belt 33 from the machine passes around the pulley 20 to rotate the spindle 17.

In operation, packages of single yarn 11 and 32 are mounted respectively on supports it and 15 and the yarns lia and 32a therefrom are led through the respective tensioners l3 and 16 and down through the hollow supports. The yarn 32a is then carried down the axial passage 24 in the extension iii of the plying spindle l7 and out through the radial passage 25. Yarn 32a is then fed back into one end of the diametrical passage 27 and past one of the steel balls 29 where it is met by yarn 11c from package ll which is led through the guide and past the other steel ball 29 in the other end of the passage 27. As the plying spindle is rotated by the driving belt 33, yarn 11a balloons out around the package 32 and at the same time twist is inserted in both yarns 11a and 32a which are plied together where they meet at the junction of the diametrical passage 27 and axial passage 26. The centrifugal force generated by the spin of the spindle forces the steel balls 29 outwardly, nipping the yarn against the eyelets 30 and thus produces equal tension in both yarns to provide an even ply. Two-ply yam 34 so formed is led away down the axial passage 26 in the cylindrical portion of the spindle l7 and taken up through a thread guide 35' and a traverse mechanism indicated at as onto a take-up spool 37 which is power driven and mounted below the spindle 17.

The centrifugal forces of the balls 2% against their respective eyelets Eli are equal, preferably by having the masses of the balls equal and their distances from the axis of rotation equal when they are seated against their respective eyelets thereby providing equal tensions on the yarns 11a and 32a.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. Apparatus for plying together two yarns which cornprises a pair of supports for let-off yarn packages, a rotatable hollow spindle for plying the yarns together, said spindle having two radially directed passages, each having an annular seating and adapted to guide a yarn through its respective seating and to a plying point within the spindle, and a ball within each of said passages adapted to nip a yarn against a seating therein by centrifugal force on the ball generated by rotation of the spindle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the yarn package supports are mounted one above the other and vertically above the rotatable, hollow spindle, and having a machine frame carrying the upper support and the hollow spindle, and an axial extension of the hollow spindle carrying the lower support.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the yarn package supports are themselves hollow and carry yarn tensioners at their upper ends.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the two radially directed passages carrying the balls constitute a single diametrical passage and wherein the rotating, hollow V spindle has a further radial passage provided therein, this latter passage connecting with an axial passage in an axial projection of the spindle.

'5. Apparatus for plying yarns which comprises a rotatabl'e hollow spindle having an axially extending yarn draw-off passage and having at least two radially directed passages, each having an annular seating and adapted to guide a yarn through its respective seating and to a ply ing point within the spindle, and a ball within each of saidpassages adapted to nip a yarn against a seating therein by centrifugal force on the ball generated by rotationof the spindle.

6; The apparatus of claim 5 in which said balls are of metal. I

p 7. The apparatus of claim 5 in which said seatings are equidistant from the axis of rotation of said spindle and in which said balls are of equal mass.

8. Apparatus for plying yarns which comprises an upper draw-e it package support having a downward, axial, yarn passage, a package supporting spindle rotatably mounted below and in substantial axial alignment with said upper package support, said package supporting spindle having an upper yarn passage extending downlet to one of the radial passages being adjacent to the outlet of the'radial extension of the upper yarn passage and the diametrically opposite radial passage being positioned to receive yarn from said upper package, each of said diametrically opposite radial passages having an eyelet in a which the yarn may pass, the eyeletsof said passages 'being equidistant from the axis of rotation of said spindle, and a pair of balls of equal mass, one seating against the radially inner side or one eyelet and the other seating against the radially inner side of the other eyelet to nip a yarn against the adjacent eyelet by centrifugal force on the ball generated by rotation of the spindle.

9. Apparatus for plying yarns which comprises an upper draw-eff package support having a downward, axial, yarn drawing passage and a guide, a package supporting spindle rotatably mounted below and in alignment with said upper package support and having in alignment an upper and a lower axial yarn passage, said package supporting spindle having a passage extending outwardly'from the lower part of said upper axial yarn passage to the exterior of said spindle and having a pair of radial passages from the exterior of said spindle to the upper part of said lower axial passage, the outer end of I References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,400,697 Lewis May 21, 1946 2,442,775 Nelson June s, 1948 V FOREIGN PATENTS 570,346 Germany Feb. 15, 1933 

